


Cover Me

by hesterbyrde



Series: Friendship is Unnecessary [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friendship, Honesty, Kissing, Oral Sex, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, steve has consent kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-13 01:49:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hesterbyrde/pseuds/hesterbyrde
Summary: "Wait." Natasha said, making him halt still in the chair. "You're always honest with me. Can I be honest with you?""Of course." A hint of a frown shadowed his brow."You're not a terrible kisser." she said her half-smile blossoming into a playful smirk. "Your fake laugh though? That needs work.""No need to flatter me, Romanoff." He flashed her his prizewinning grin as he kicked his chair backwards along the floor and got to his feet. "And that's hardly a glowing endorsement."She was across the space between them in the flash of a few short steps, her body rolled tight against his as she pressed her lips to his open mouth. Which, after a brief second of shock, he opened wider, beckoning her to explore. She wanted to. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the comforting heat and strength of him, but she needed to gauge his reaction first. She drew back, craning up to look at his face. His eyes were wide, but his body was still relaxed against hers. And the first rosy suggestion of a blush stained his cheeks. She'd surprised him, but he wasn't moving away.





	Cover Me

**Author's Note:**

> Well... this is unexpected.
> 
> First of all... thank you to everyone who read my therapy-fic "What Strength I Have's Mine Own." You all are literally the reason that I've written any more for this pairing. I was overwhelmed and moved by your kind words, encouragement, and enthusiasm. I got so many comments asking for a round two, and for the genesis of this friendship-with-benefits. So... you have yourselves to blame for this.
> 
> So... I decided to take it back to the start, with a fic set during and immediately after Winter Soldier. I plan to do more of these... The one for Ultron is currently at almost 2k words, and there's a longer fic for Civil War that's in the outline phase right now. And another post Infinity War fic that might see a few changes to "What Strength I Have." But nothing major. So... some things moving forward just so we all know what to expect.
> 
> 1.) I'm very briefly establishing in this one that Steve and Bucky were a thing back in the 40s. But the entire focus of this fic and for the most part moving forward is Steve and Natasha. However, I'm pondering doing a multi-pairing of Steve/Bucky/Nat for Civil War. Because I'm multi-shipping trash.
> 
> 2.) Speaking of multi-shipping trash, Clint/Coulson/Natasha is also a thing in this universe, but again the focus will remain on Steve and Nat for the most part. The relationship is sort of old history at this point in my story. But might come into play later... (Also if that's your jam, I wrote two fics for that threesome... just sayin')
> 
> 3.) I'm keeping as close to established canon as possible so be warned that Bruce/Nat will be a thing. A passing thing that she mourns and gets over, but it will be there in the Ultron fic. 
> 
> Long story short... I'm really trying to do a study of Natasha and Steve as non-romantic sexual partners. They care about each other -a lot- but theirs is not a romance. It is a highly physical and intimate friendship with room for other partners. It's not a dynamic I really get the opportunity to write for often, so I'm excited for this.
> 
> Okay... now that that's all out of the way, on to the fic!
> 
> Thank you to KaminaDuck for the exhaustive beta reading! 
> 
> And thank you for reading, sending kudos, and comments! Seriously... the feedback and encouragement I received is the only reason that this turned into a series. I was so surprised and overwhelmed. So thank you!
> 
> Enjoy!

Steve shook the water off of his hands and reached for the hand towel by the sink. Movement other than his own in the mirror's reflection caught his eye as he straightened up. Natasha was sitting on the foot of the spare bed, fully dressed and squeezing out her damp curls with a towel. But something about the motion rang hollow to Steve's observant eye. Her hair was nearly dry and she seemed to be staring off at nothing, until she caught his gaze in the mirror. Then she looked away, working her tresses more diligently, but still the motion seemed just be repetitive. An attempt to soothe herself through action, like a cat kneading a blanket.

The totally blank look on her face was what really worried him. He'd never seen it before. He'd seen her fake one, sure. He couldn't count the number of times he'd seen her put on an immaculate mask of emotionless steel in order to keep from giving her thoughts away. She seemed to have a whole set of them for different occasions… interrogation, misdirection... But this was different. Behind her eyes was… nothing. The internal machinery of her mind seemed to have ground to a total halt.

He rounded the door to look at her properly, leaning one shoulder against the frame. "You okay?" he asked, still drying his fingers.

Her gaze faltered as she sought to slam her walls up again. "Yeah." The flippant answer had come too quick and she knew it. And she knew he knew it. 

Steve tossed the towel back in the bathroom as he crossed to sit in front of her. She kept her eyes averted this time until he finally asked the question clearly in foremost in his thoughts.

"What's going on?" 

She looked up at him again, that same blank stillness settling over her features. Her eyes were just a little wider than normal. And even though she was looking at him, it was a championship thousand-yard stare. Eerily not unlike the stare of a corpse.

Her mouth worked around a thousand diverting responses. No one but Phil and Clint had ever really asked her that question. Really, really. And twenty four hours ago, she certainly wouldn't have given a straight answer to Steve Rogers. A half truth? Something she thought might satisfy him? Sure. But now, she found herself compelled to answer in full. Something in the soft warmth that settled in the hard lines of his face made her want to tell him. To confide in him, because she needed to confide in someone. She'd never felt that need before. Everything felt like it was sinking around her, but somehow he seemed to still be standing on solid ground.

"When I joined SHIELD I thought I was going straight." she said. Only a faint crackle in her low voice betrayed how hard it was to find the words to explain herself. "But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling. But... I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."

The woundedness that welled in her eyes at that admission cut Steve to the quick. "There's a chance you might be in the wrong business." He quipped, wanting to give her some levity by feeding her line back to her.

He was rewarded with a rather bewildered but genuine smile. But it only flickered in her eyes for a moment before the weight of their new reality swelled and drowned it again. "I owe you." she said in a tone that sounded not unlike defeat. And a little like shock as well. 

Steve shook his head. "It's okay." He'd wanted to say more… "You shouldn't think of it that way. That isn't how it is… I care about you…" 

But she spoke first, pinning him with an adamantine stare that he couldn't bring himself to break. "If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me... Would you trust me to do it?"

She thought he would say no, Steve immediately realized. Something in her wanted to be told no. It was almost as if she was counting on it, as some sort of penance for past transgressions. Or for her own failings. And perhaps in the past, she would have been right. Steve hadn't trusted her in the beginning. He hadn't known what to make of her. And to his credit, she'd made sure of that, especially with her stunt on the Lemurian Star. But that was beginning to not be the case. She was making sure of that too, apparently. But… she'd asked for the truth. So he gave it.

"I would now." he said, his tone gravely serious. But then he smiled. He tried to make it the best smile he could muster, and though it was still sad and wounded and a little shell-shocked, it was warm. And most importantly it was genuine, just like his answer. "And I'm always honest."

Something in her eased at being told the truth. And even more at being assured that there would be a place she could always go for the truth. So a smile of her own crept in at the corners of her mouth, and it stayed this time. "Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing."

Steve seemed to shrug as he sat back in the chair, his smile turning more than a little sardonic. "Well, guess I just like to know who I'm fighting."

As soon as he'd spoken, Sam stepped into the doorway. "I made breakfast… If you guys eat that sort of thing." he said, clearly and awkwardly aware that he'd interrupted a very serious conversation between two of the most deadly and wanted people in D.C. 

Natasha and Steve both nodded appreciatively, and Sam wandered back out into the hall towards the kitchen, eager to escape the tension in the room.

"Breakfast does sound good, now that he mentions it." Steve said moving to stand.

"Wait." Natasha said, making him halt still in the chair. "You're always honest with me. Can I be honest with you?"

"Of course." A hint of a frown shadowed his brow.

"You're not a terrible kisser." she said her half-smile blossoming into a playful smirk. "Your fake laugh though? That needs work."

"No need to flatter me, Romanoff." He flashed her his prizewinning grin as he kicked his chair backwards along the floor and got to his feet. "And that's hardly a glowing endorsement."

She was across the space between them in the flash of a few short steps, her body rolled tight against his as she pressed her lips to his open mouth. Which, after a brief second of shock, he opened wider, beckoning her to explore. She wanted to. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the comforting heat and strength of him, but she needed to gauge his reaction first. She drew back, craning up to look at his face. His eyes were wide, but his body was still relaxed against hers. And the first rosy suggestion of a blush stained his cheeks. She'd surprised him, but he wasn't moving away.

"What is this, Natasha?" He asked, his voice husky and serious. His tone was careful, but it wasn't accusatory. 

"What you wanted it to be." she answered, looking uncertainly up into his chiseled face. "What you asked me for." It was uncomfortable. The eye contact made her feel exposed. But she stood her ground against her own inhibitions. Against the hard coded instinct to withdraw and slam up every evasive defense she could find.

"A friend?" he asked, the corner of his mouth pulling.

"It's what you asked for." she said carefully. "It's what you said you wanted. And like you said. You're always honest."

The smile bloomed fully then. "That I am." he replied, his smile creeping back in over his flustered surprise.

"I need… practice with that I think." she said with a slight frown. "With the honesty, I mean.

"Well... clearly I need kissing practice, so-"

"I didn't say you were bad, I just wond-"

"So I think it's an even trade." He silenced her protests by stealing another sweet kiss from her upturned lips before tugging her after him towards the smell of bacon.

***

After Fury's strange not-funeral had concluded, and Natasha had departed for parts unknown, Steve and Sam ultimately decided that they would meet up the next evening to go through the file on Bucky. They both had things to catch up on for the rest of the afternoon. It had been a busy week of interviews and questioning, as weeks with saving the world on the calendar often were, at least in Steve's experience. 

When Sam was headed back to his car, Steve paused for a moment over Fury's mock-grave, staring at the turned earth and the flowers with hard set eyes. There wasn't a person in that casket, but nevertheless, Steve felt like something was buried there. Perhaps it was the idea of a clean, clear-cut enemy. Perhaps it was something about himself. He couldn't be sure. But things would be different now, with no SHIELD left but HYDRA potentially at every turn. 

As Steve walked toward the cemetery gate, he thumbed at the edge of the folder where it poked out of his bag. It was tempting to read it by himself when he got back to the hotel room. He was still being put up in a suite while his apartment was combed by the FBI, the CIA, and who knew what other alphabet soup agencies. Maybe he could start translating some of the information. It might give them a head start…

But he knew better than to go through that file alone. That was the key to a spiral, and he'd been through enough of those in his life. Looking through that file on his own without another set of eyes to keep him grounded would be reckless. This was bigger than him, and he would need help. And Sam would be his best shot at someone understanding. No… it would be better to wait.

"Be careful Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread."

Natasha's words fizzed inside his skull. And the kiss she'd left on his cheek still tingled, almost as if he could still feel her breath on his skin. It had surprised him. That fleeting moment of tenderness. And she'd looked at him afterward like she'd surprised herself too. That such closeness and fondness had come so easily. All she needed to do was try. All she needed to do to have a friend was be one.

A friend. 

That's what they were calling this. They certainly seemed more than just friendly to his sensibilities, but then… but then so did literally anyone else Steve had ever been close to. Bucky was like that. Hell, they were certainly a lot more than friends once they moved in together. And now there was Sam. It hadn't gotten physical with Sam, but Steve had known the ex-soldier for less than a week, and already he'd sheltered at his house while HYDRA scoured the city, and now the man had thrown in with him to go hunting a rogue Russian assassin because somewhere buried under that kevlar and metal and Soviet brainwashing was Steve's friend. 

There was that word again. It was beginning to have a new meaning. Or maybe Steve just wasn't very good at boundaries. Everything seemed to bleed through. It was as if he couldn't help but be authentic with the people he was drawn to. Natasha at least seemed to admire that about him.

Oh. And speak of the devil. When Steve rounded the corner to where he'd parked his bike, he saw Natasha's Corvette peeking out of an alleyway one block down. Just the nose. But there it was plain as day. Huh.

The steel trap in his skull snapped closed on a single thought. She had left herself where she knew he could find her. She'd found his bike and parked just on the near side so he would have to walk past and see her. And that probably meant she wanted to have a conversation with him outside of Fury's hearing. And Sam's too. But only if Steve was interested in having one. He actually thrilled a little at the prospect. Moments ago it sounded like it might be awhile before he saw her again. 

"Walk, don't run, Rogers." he muttered to himself as he set off towards the car, his stomach doing a few flips as he walked.

When he approached the car, he heard the lock click. He opened the door and settled himself in the passenger seat, letting the luxuriant scent of the leather wash over him. When the door closed, Natasha wordlessly took off into the flow of D.C. traffic.

They drove in silence for awhile until Steve's curiosity got the better of him. "Where are we going?" he asked finally as they merged onto the freeway heading south out of town.

"You have any plans today?"

Steve pursed his lips. "Other than room service and bad TV, no not really."

Natasha gave a little nod. "There's a Congressman… remember the one whose daughter was on that ship with the Somali pirates last year?"

"Yeah, I think I saw something about that in the news. That was you?"

"That was me." she confirmed with a hint of a prideful grin. "And it wasn't Somalis. It was Russians, so they called in the big guns. Or well… a big gun." She rolled her eyes. "I really thought we would have learned by now."

Steve gave a dry laugh. "After this last week, I'm starting to think that no one ever learns."

Natasha gave a dry snort of agreement. "Anyway… this Congressman has a cabin out on the Potomac. When everything went south with SHIELD and the Triskelion, he discreetly had a key delivered to me during the hearing. Plain envelope. Nothing but an address. Didn't take much digging to figure out who it was from and their intention."

"You're just going to stay there?" he asked. "Wait for all this to blow over?"

"No. Just going to spend the night." she answered with a shake of her head. "This isn't going to blow over. Not by a long shot. Especially not for someone like me. No, I got a call from Stark. He wants me to do some private work for his company."

"Thought you and Tony didn't really see eye to eye." Steve pointed out with a frown.

"We don't." Natasha answered, shrugging one shoulder. "But he's never lied to me, or treated me like I was expendable. And with the exception of the whole thing with Fury, neither has Maria Hill. And she works for Tony now. So…"

Steve cocked an eyebrow. "You don't really strike me as the office type."

"I'll be working… retroactive security, lets call it. Keeping Tony's work out of the hands of the wrong people and getting it back when someone gets lucky. Maybe help with some field testing too. I'm hoping for some new toys out of the deal in addition to the paycheck."

"That definitely helps me sleep better at night." Steve admitted with a considering tilt of his head.

"What about you?" She asked, glancing over. "What are you going to do?"

"Right now, I'm being driven to what I assume is a politician's swanky getaway." he replied playfully. "But tomorrow, I've got to be back in D.C. Sam and I are… um…" he nodded where the folder of intel on the Winter Soldier was peeking out of his bag. "We're going to get started."

"Not one for patience, are you Steve?"

He gave a faint chuckle. "For me, waiting more than 24 hours is patience. But… I'll take your warning to heart, Natasha." he said, fixing her with an honest and steady stare even though her eyes never left the road. "I can't promise I'll do the smart thing, but I consider myself warned."

"Good." She said, a little more sharply than she'd meant to. "I… I mean. I didn't think I could warn you off of chasing Barnes completely. I just… I wanted you to respect how hard it was going to be. I thought… I thought now it might mean something to hear it from me?" She glanced at him apprehensively.

"It does, and I appreciate it." Steve said, nodding a little. "But…"

"But?" Now her eyes did flicker to his face.

"What if I pull on this thread." he turned in his seat to face her more squarely. "You and me. Where does it lead?"

A long silence stretched out between them, and her hand tightened reflexively on the steering wheel. The leather creaked faintly in her grip. That same blankness crept into her features, as it had when they'd talked in Sam's guest room. "Where would you like it to?" she evaded.

"No, I asked you." he said, gently but firmly. "Don't give me your truth is many things to many people speech again. You're literally driving away to a private cabin with me in your passenger seat. Where do you want this to lead?"

She thought for a moment, her pink tongue passing slowly over her bottom lip. "I want a friend too." she said finally. "And… I think we're both trying to find where that line is."

"Is that why I'm coming with you?"

She hazarded a glance over at him something clever and mischievous sparkling in her eyes. "Is that why you walked over when you saw my car was parked in the alley?"

Steve regarded her, a confused frown clouding his gaze for a moment before he just smiled and shook his head. "Let's go with that." he answered finally, a bit of a rosy flush creeping into his cheeks just as it had when she'd kissed him on the escalator. 

***

The Congressman's river house wasn't as ridiculously opulent as Steve had imagined, but it was still very, very nice. It was single story cabin, with a dock that stretched out far into the flowing water. The interior, floor to ceiling, was dark polished wood, and all the soft furnishings were in beautiful brick reds and matte gold. Nothing was shiny, per se, but everything gleamed. And the entire back wall of the cabin was glass, looking out across the still water of the Potomac. The sun had sunk below the horizon long before they had arrived, but daylight still lingered, casting the cloudy sky and the still water alike in a muted heather gray hue.

"Not sure I could stomach being a politician," Natasha remarked as she put her bag down by the master bedroom door. "But a house like this would make it worth it."

"Eh, you'll probably have yourself a place like this in no time doing honest work for Stark." Steve opined as he wandered over to the giant plate glass window and kicked off his shoes.

She gave a considering nod as she did so as well. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." She sauntered to the kitchen to take a peek in the fridge, returning a moment later with a cup of yogurt. "You want anything?" she asked as she came to stand beside him.

He gave an appreciative shake of his head, leaning against the back of the sofa and folding his arms as he gazed out over the steadily flowing river. "Thanks though."

A long, but not exactly uncomfortable silence stretched between them as they both stared out into the night gathering over the water. Strangely, neither felt pressured to fill the silence or distract from the view. And it was a pretty nice view, even if the sunset was well past its prime. Natasha quietly enjoyed her snack as the light faded and the water became indistinguishable from the occluded sky. Light pollution was minimal facing out across the water, and they hadn't turned on many lights in the house, so it was a bit like staring out into the void. Occasionally, the darkness was punctuated by the light of a fishing boat cruising along the water. But other than that the world outside was totally still.

Natasha shifted next to him and for a moment, Steve's eyes adjusted. He realized he could see their reflection in the plate glass. And that Natasha was looking at him, not out at the water. 

On instinct he unfolded his arms, reaching one out to her without actually turning to look. She didn't hesitate. She set her cup and spoon aside and let him reel her in to lean against his ribs. She settled easily against him with one hand his broad chest, and for a space they just breathed.

"Is this alright?" she asked, her cheek flat against his thin t-shirt.

He smiled, leaning down to press his nose to the part of her hair. "I'm the one who offered."

She rubbed her face along the white fabric, breathing in his scent before she looked up at him. "But I'm asking anyway. Be honest with me. Is this alright?"

"The honest answer is yes." he replied before leaning down to capture her mouth with his. She surged up underneath him, making a small sound somewhere deep in her throat at the contact. It sounded a little something like relief, but an awful lot like desperation.

Steve eagerly swallowed it down and pulled her closer, letting the full length of her lithe body lie flush against his as he leaned farther back against the couch. Her hands wandered shamelessly, exploring the swell of his shoulders, the ridges of his abs, and the sharp divot of his hip bones through his clothes. He smiled against her lips as he licked deep in her mouth. He actually preened a little under her touch, arching and pressing against her hands. But he kept his own exploration reserved, even as she pressed herself as close to him as she could. It was almost as if she were trying to meld with him. Or perhaps even climb him like a tree. 

"It's not 1945 anymore, Rogers." she teased between wet, open-mouthed kisses. "You don't have to be such a gentleman."

She felt him smirk against her lips as he let his kisses trail lower to trace the line of her jaw. "Again, Romanoff, just because technically I'm old enough to be your grandfather doesn't mean I'm a prude. But if you want me to be more forward all you need to do is ask. Are you asking?"

"Mmhmm…" her hum of assent turned to a high, breathy whine as his kisses grew teeth.

"And you'll tell me if I take it too far?" His hands had grown bolder, skimming under the hem of her shirt to slide along her flanks and feel her ribs flexing as she tried to remember how to breathe.

"You won't go too far, Steve, I promise." she answered, trying to pull his lips back to hers. "You won't."

He stilled for a moment, cupping her face in his palm as he regarded her. "Is this what friendship is going to look like on us?" he asked, a thumb skirting along her cheekbone.

The smoldering sparkle in her eyes dimmed for a moment. "If you're okay with that."

"That has the potential to make things complicated."

"Only if we let it." she replied. "Only if we stop being honest with each other. I won't stop if you won't. I gotta practice… remember?"

He grinned at the double entendre of that very earnest statement. "Deal." he said before resuming his series of biting kisses just beneath her ear. 

Her knees buckled a little when his hands slid around to unclasp her bra. "Bed." she whispered roughly. "I need to lay down before you make me fall down."

"Likewise." Steve agreed, his voice gone a little husky around the edges.

"Blood flow not so even on you either?" she teased, sliding the hollow of her hip over the pronounced bulge in his jeans. Her stomach gave an excited little flip at the undignified groan he gave at the contact. "Come on."

She took him by the hand and dragged him behind her towards the master bedroom. As she passed the doorframe, she skimmed her top and bra off in a single easy motion, letting a little bit of a sultry sway work its way into her hips. When her shins met the edge of the mattress, she allowed gravity to pitch her forward onto all fours with her shapely ass poking out in the air and her breasts swaying heavily beneath her. Just above the waistband of her leggings, two perfectly thumbprint-shaped divots decorated the base of her spine. She was a vision of seduction and she knew it.

Steve let his shoulder catch on the doorframe and stopped to take in the sight of Natasha practically presenting herself on the bed. The pupils of his lovely eyes were blown wide to swallow all but the thinnest ring of blue. But he seemed frozen in place, a self-conscious blush staining his cheeks.

"You going to join me?" she purred, cutting him a playful smile over her shoulder.

Steve averted his eyes, kicking weakly at the door frame. "You know you don't have to put on a show for me, Natasha."

"I know. I don't have to do any of this." she agreed stretching out like a cat and giving a languid roll of her body. "But I want to. It's fun. And you're clearly enjoying it, even if you think you shouldn't. Come on…" She sat up on her knees, dragging her fingers through her hair and puffing her chest out. The movement of the air over her sensitive skin had her nipples taut and rosy. "I know you like showing off too. I've seen you and Thor go a few rounds in the ring. And I've seen your swagger when you manage to get the better of a god. There's an ego under all the stars and stripes and humble charm. Be honest."

Steve flushed an even darker shade of red. "Maybe a little."

Natasha gave a luxurious stretch before coiling up in the middle of the bed with a pretty arch to her back. "Come on, Steve. Show off for me. It's just me."

He hesitated as he watched her. And for a brief second, it seemed like he might argue, and to her credit, Natasha was ready to pivot on her plans if this didn't work. She didn't want him to be uncomfortable or to not enjoy himself… but she would pay dearly to see him strut. Even just a little. Even just for her. What was a little playful swagger between friends?

But after a moment's consideration, Steve pushed off of the door frame and he took two steps in the room. His hands went to the hem of his shirt, and he made a God damned spectacle of pulling it over his head. He stretched and tugged at the material, making his muscles ripple like water as he moved. Natasha's mouth actually watered a little at the sight of his bare chest. Especially when she realized that she'd never actually seen him shirtless except in the SHIELD file pictures. And that certainly did his physique no justice. He truly was massive, and in places it seemed like his muscles had muscles. But there was a grace to his movements that still photos couldn't capture. A poise and ease that made her ache to have that strength wrapped around her. 

As Steve popped the button on his jeans, Natasha bit her lip. "You're in a rush, Rogers." she taunted, her hips giving a little shimmy. "You haven't even gotten my pants off yet."

"You aren't' wearing any." he replied, running each thumb along the inside of his waistband. "Leggings aren't pants."

Natasha gave a sharp, surprised little laugh. "We are not having this argument right now. Tell me we aren't."

"Only if you agree that leggings aren't pants." Steve said, shucking his jeans, but leaving his underwear on. The sight of the outline of his thick cock stole Natasha's breath for a moment, but not as much as the sweetly cocky glimmer in his eyes when he caught her staring. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth as he reached down and stroked himself through the fabric. Natasha thought she might black out from the mix of shock and white-hot arousal that cut through her.

Their teasing argument was forgotten. The last week of interviews and nightmares was forgotten. Everything was forgotten except how appetizing his thick cock looked, and how soft her breasts were, and far apart they suddenly seemed.

Steve had a remedy for the distance. Faster than she could react, he reached out to seize her by the ankle. He dragged her over to the edge of the bed so he could stand between her legs, and in a single smooth motion he peeled off her leggings and folded his body down over hers. The speed and precision with which he had pulled her clothes off overwhelmed her and left her gasping and clutching at his broad shoulders.

"Okay?" he asked, steadying her against the broad expanse of his chest.

She nodded, trying frantically to wet her mouth as she sought to pull him even closer. Both were things which Steve seemed eager to help her with. He licked past her lips as his hands found her breasts cupping them and gently rolling each nipple under his thumbs. Steve felt himself swoon at how soft her skin was and distantly he wondered how that soft skin might feel on his aching cock. Eagerly he swallowed down each breathy moan as he pulled them from her throat with teasing hands and lips and teeth. 

Natasha felt comfortably overwhelmed as his hands roamed over her freshly bared skin, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake. Steve had always stood a head taller than her even if she wore heels, but it was an entirely different story to have him looming over her with his hands on her breasts and his tongue nearly down her throat. She'd told him to cut loose, and he'd finally believed her. 

She drew her legs up around his waist letting his weight fall against her pelvis, and his cock rub against the damp heat of her underwear. He arched against her at the contact, his back bowing as he rutted against her. And so she repeated the motion, with more purpose and languor this time, slowly rolling against him and stroking his cock with the thinly clothed lips of her pussy as she smoothed her hands up the beautiful arch of his back. 

"Fuck, Nat…" he hissed. "God, I just…" he bit off the rest of the sentence with a click of his teeth.

"What do you want, Steve?" She asked, running her hands through his hair. It was as soft as it looked. "Say it."

"I just want to push your panties out of the way and just… I want inside you so bad."

"Do it." she encouraged, squeezing her thighs around him.

He firmly shook his head as he took a shuddering but steadying breath. "No, I want to do this right, if I'm going to do it at all. Scoot up on the pillows." He jerked his chin towards the head of the bed.

As he rocked back on his knees, she complied, shimmying up the comforter and appealingly arranging herself on the plethora of pillows. She absently fingered one of her stiff nipples as she watched Steve strip off his underwear. His heavy, straining erection bobbed out in front of him, the head already shiny and slick with precome. She hadn't imagined or exaggerated how big he was. A double handful at least and flushed a rosy, eager red. She was actually grateful that he was wanting to go slow. It would probably be for the best, but that didn't help her to be more patient. 

Steve knelt on the bed between her legs and leaned forward to sink his hands into her hair and kiss her. He plundered her soft, open mouth, plunging his tongue in to lick and suck and devour. For a moment she thought he was just going to give in and fuck her, but he drew back after a moment. "I want to eat you out." he told her between presses of his lips. "Is that alright?" She could only nod and moan enthusiastically, not wanting to lose contact with him anymore than she had to. 

"Good." he whispered, his lips trailing down along her jaw to the hollow of her throat and then to her right breast where he eagerly took her nipple into his soft wet mouth. No teeth. Not even a hint of teeth. Just gentle, velvety suction that had the little nub of flesh hard in an instant.

"Steve, please stop teasing me." she moaned, feeling him smile against her skin. Everywhere he wasn't touching her felt like it was on fire, and everywhere he was touching her was positively electrified. Distantly, she wondered if she looked a mess… writhing and desperate. But she couldn't bring herself to care. She just wanted more. More of his lips. Of his hands. More of his cock. Just more...

He ventured lower, laying a line of gentle kisses along each of her ribs and then her abs and then finally he skirted the hollow of her hip, tracing its contours with the tip of his tongue. Her entire body gave one long, undulating shiver. He peeled off her underwear and pulled her legs up over his shoulders, curling her hips so that he had full and easy access. Her pussy was flushed and swollen already. He drug his tongue up the blushed slit listening to the long reedy moan that elicited. She was wet already, and the smell and taste of her was positively overwhelming. He repeated the motion. Again and again. Each time pressing harder with the tip of his clever tongue, delving a little deeper and opening her up with such infinite care. 

Natasha felt she might fly apart at his gentleness. But he was being firm with her too and that kept it from being frustrating or frightening. One broad hand spanned her lower back, holding her in place against his shoulders as he licked her open. He'd found her clit, and he sucked at it between curls of his tongue. The other hand toyed with her breasts, rolling her nipples and kneading her flesh until it seemed between that and the hot slickness of his mouth on her pussy, her whole body was one livewire. That she existed for him to pour sensation into. And all she could ask for was more.

And apparently she wasn't alone. As he worked her whole body with lips and tongue and hands, his hips rolled against the bed in a rhythm all their own, grinding his bare cock against the soft comforter. It wasn't enough sensation to get anywhere, but it took the edge off. He was so desperate, she realized, and that sent a little thrill through her that sparked where he touched her. 

"Steve… Steve…" His name seemed to be the only word she could find. But she hoped he understood what she was trying to say.

More.

Don't stop.

Please just a little more.

Then, he slid his hand out from under her, slipping a single finger into the welcoming heat of her pussy and crooking it slightly. The sensation sent her arching off the bed with a breathy little shout of his name. She was close now, a heavy liquid heat pooling low in her belly as he pumped the digit in and out in time with the rhythmic suction of his lips against her clit. And with just a few beckoning curls of his finger, he had her coming. She arched off the bed, burying her hands in his hair. His name poured from her lips in a broken scream. He caressed and coaxed her through it until she was a shivering boneless heap in the middle of the bed.

She weakly pulled and pawed at his shoulders to draw him up to her.

"Fuck me." she said in a ragged whisper as she buried her fingers in his hair. "You've earned it."

"Do you need me to use a condom?"

She shook her head as she vainly tried to wet her mouth enough to actually talk.

"Do you need a minute?"

"No." she said, the word coming out as a pleading sound. "God… no. Just… Fuck me, Steve."

"Okay." he said. "Like this?"

"Please…"

With a shaking hand, he lined himself up against her slick, flushed entrance and began to press inside. He went slow. So slow Natasha nearly screamed again, not out of pleasure but out of frustration and want. She felt so empty… and wanted so badly to feel the thick, heavy weight of him inside her right now. Right fucking now.

But the look on his face as he dropped to his elbows with his forearms bracketing her writhing body... The relief there in his eyes stole Natasha's breath and silenced any pleas for "more" and "faster." There was something in him that came uncoiled as he pushed into the hot, yielding clutch of her body. Something that had been winding tighter and tighter since he'd come out of the ice. Hurts and desires decades old came seeping like oil up to the surface. But in tandem with those hurts came a sweet relief. Old pains met by a new balm.

A friend.

And just like that, it was no longer her pleasure that she was chasing. Natasha reached up with all her limbs, wrapping as much of herself around him as she could when he bottomed out with a harsh grunt. "I've got you," she whispered, though she felt so full it was hard to breathe. The words were just airy suggestions against the taut skin of his throat.

"Natasha…" He gave an abortive little thrust, trying to drive himself impossibly deeper and pushing a short, startled moan from her. 

"I've got you." she whispered again, carding a hand through his hair to push it back out of his eyes. "Whatever you need, I'm here."

Steve's eyes rolled back into his head for a second as he pulled out of her almost as slowly as he pressed in. Then with a curl of his powerful hips, he was thrusting back inside. "What… did I tell you about that whole… not all things to all people... stuff?"

She tightened her fist in his hair and tugged until he looked at her. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get his attention. He stilled over her briefly. "I can't be this for anyone but you, Steve." she said, tucking her hips to meet his next thrust so he could get even deeper. "Whatever you need." she punctuated the words with a kiss. "I want to give that to you. I want you to ask me for it."

They caught a slow, sinuous rhythm together as she spoke. Each thrust and each drag of tongue and wandering fingers sealed her promise to him. Their kisses began to grow teeth and their desire swelled in tandem. The still smoldering embers of Natasha's first orgasm were beginning to flame to life again as he pumped in and out of her at a solid, almost concussive pace.

"I need to wake up and you still be here in the morning Nat." he confessed between rough pants. 

"I will." she swore, a little baffled at the simplicity of the request. "I will, Steve." She was holding his face between her palms now, watching the pleasure of each thrust crackle in his eyes. It felt strange to be so sure of where she would wake up in the morning. She never had before. Not even with Clint or with Coulson all the time. But she was sure now. How could she not be?

"I believe you." he said, before dropping his head to rest against her collarbone as his thrusts picked up speed. Each one hammered out a high pitched cry from Natasha as she clawed to pull him closer. As if the two of them could possibly be any closer than they already were in that moment. Whispers in the dark. Flesh meeting flesh, and kisses that scalded and healed where they fell.

Natasha was past words at that point. Her whole body felt incandescent, sparked to life by the ceaseless rhythm of his cock. But Steve's voice seemed to come unhinged and unleashed. He talked without ceasing… kissing promises into her skin as he pounded into the hot clutch of her body.

She felt the edge of her climax nearing at a rapid pace. "Don't stop." she begged, the words muffled against the pulse that jumped in his throat. And he didn't. He pistoned into her over and over with exacting precision until her vision whited out and she was squeezing up around him as her orgasm crashed over her. 

And that sent Steve over the edge too. As Natasha rippled and writhed underneath him, his back bowed as he thrust as deep into her as he could, and he moaned through gritted teeth as his cock pulsed inside her. 

In an instant everything turned soft, and hazy, and slippery. Hands that had been insistent and almost bruising before turned gentle and soothing. Their lips melted together and they thrust languidly against each other, wanting to wring every last bit of ecstasy and togetherness from that moment, before Steve's softening cock slipped out of her. 

He carefully rolled them both to their sides, pulling her close and twining their legs together. They lay like that for a long while, sweat cooling and breathing slowing as they took in the sudden change of circumstance. He pressed his forehead to hers as his hands wandered, caressing the swell of her hips, the bend of her wrist, and the hollow of her throat. Anywhere he might've left a bruise or a mark, she realized. Natasha looked up to find him gazing down at her, his handsome face bent into a concerned frown, which she summarily kissed from his face. He smiled then, his hands resuming their caresses, now touching her as if she were the most treasured thing in the world. 

"That was…" Steve paused, clearly at a loss for words.

"A lot?" Natasha offered, looking up at him again, her eyes wide and earnest.

"Yeah. Amazing. But… a lot." He agreed, pulling back just a fraction to be able to look in her more squarely in the face. "This is what friendship is going to look like on us?"

"Are you okay with that?"

He took a long deliberative breath before he answered. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I am. I'm… Well, you said you're bad at being honest? I'm bad at letting good things be good."

She nodded absently, a little bewildered at that statement. "I'm a good thing?"

He smiled then. A real smile. Not one stained with things unspoken. "A very good thing." he said, kissing her forehead. "We should probably get some sleep. I think we've both earned it."

They didn't drift far from each other as they pulled down the comforter and burrowed under the covers. The sheets were satiny and cool against their still overheated skin. And when they settled, they spooled themselves together again in an instant, trading lazy kisses as they sank down against the pillows. Hands eventually stilled. Eyes fluttered closed, and breathing slowed.

That night, sleep came quicker for both of them than it had in months.

***

Natasha woke up first as a shaft of brilliant sunlight cut across her face. She squinted and blinked as her vision cleared, smacking a little at the stale taste in her mouth. She had slept so deeply that she hadn't moved at all in the night. Not even to roll over or adjust the pillow under her head. The soft mattress and the warm circle of Steve's arms had practically swallowed her.

Steve was still fast asleep, one arm pillowed under his cheek and the other thrown around her waist. The weight of it was comforting. Grounding. She hadn't imagined what had transpired last night. She'd hoped to blow off some steam for them both… She hadn't bargained on this. 

Natasha remembered her promise from the previous night and, smiling to herself, pulled him closer, shading her face in the hollow of his throat and burrowing further into the sanctuary of his body. The situation brought typical thoughts of early morning escapes and walks of shame to mind, but only superficially. The idea that she could possibly want to be anywhere else right now was laughable.

She dozed like that for a long while, listening to the soft sounds of his breathing and the hum of the occasional passing motorboat far out on the water. For the first time in a very long time, she felt comfortable. Languid and easy in a way that only partially had to do with the sound fucking she'd received the night before. 

She knew when Steve woke up because his arm instinctively tightened around her, drawing her flush against his chest. She roused and craned her head up as he looked down at her, his blue eyes bleary as he convinced himself that she really was there.

"Good morning." he said, his voice raspy. He'd pulled her closer, and Natasha could feel the hard line of his cock pressing against her stomach.

"It is a good morning." she purred, giving him a smile that wrinkled her nose. She gave an indolent roll of her body that dragged his cock along her skin as she kissed his neck.

"Mmm…" he hummed as he arched into the attention for a moment. "What time is it?"

Natasha rolled to her other side and pushed up on one elbow to see the clock on the bedside table. "Just after 8." she said, flopping down on her back and enjoying the give of the ridiculously fluffy pillows.

"Mmm… that's late for me." He leaned forward to press a kiss to the top of her shoulder. 

"Clearly not everything about you slept in." she teased, rolling away from him slightly and wiggling her hips back so that the soft swell of her ass rubbed against the length of his cock. He made an inarticulate noise deep in his throat at the contact, and spooned her closer. "You want to go again?" she asked.

He nodded, pulling her hair to one side so he could kiss his way up her neck. She smiled to herself, tipping her pelvis back so that his cock slipped between her thighs. She was still sticky and slick down there and the sensation shocked a moan out of him as his hips bucked forward.

"Do you want it like this?" he asked, his voice tight as he fought to not get ahead of himself. When she nodded, he bumped the head of his cock against the swollen lips of her pussy, before gliding his length between her thighs again. "Do you want to fool around first? So it's more comfortable?"

She shook her head rather hard, pulling at his wrist where his thickly muscled arm lay wrapped loosely around her waist. He responded by snugging it tight around her chest, pinning her wrists against her collar bones as he angled her hips back just enough to him slip inside. 

"This okay?"

"God yes." she moaned, dragging his cock along her wet slit again as she pushed against his arm. Not trying to get free, but just to feel how secure she was there. How safe and how wanted...

"Stop me if it hurts." 

"Please, Steve…" she said, tipping her pelvis back even further in invitation. "Come on."

He didn't delay or deny her anymore. He pushed in with a single, long thrust that had them both crying out. She was tighter, thanks to their round the previous evening. So tight and hot. The friction was so unbelievable and perfect that Steve couldn't keep from settling into a steady, unhurried rhythm almost immediately. 

Natasha couldn't really move much from this angle. She could only keep her back arched against the broad expanse of his chest and let him do the rest. And he did do the rest. He wound both arms tight around her body and moved her in time with his thrusts. And the apex of each thrust drew a high thin moan from deep in her throat.

"Fuck, this is not going to take long." Steve swore, burying his face in her sweat-damp hair. "You're so tight, Nat."

Something about hearing Steve Rogers swear while he fucked her made Natasha positively preen. The idea that he could cut loose with her that much was amazing. "Come for me, Steve." she moaned.

"Are you close?" he asked, the strain of holding back evident in his voice.

"Not quite yet…?"

"Tell me how to make it good for you, Nat." he said through gritted teeth. "Tell me what you need."

"Your… your fingers on my clit." she panted. "Just… little circles. I'm almost there… I just..."

He moved the hand that wasn't pinning her wrists to her chest did as she asked. Her clit was swollen and slick and he could feel from there how much her body stretched around him. And at the first touch, the walls of her pussy clenched around him making him groan as he worked the sensitive little nub.

"Yes…" she let the word out on a long hiss. "Just like that…"

The drag of his cock mixed with the sinuous rhythm of his fingers on her clit brought Natasha to the edge in seconds.

"Steve!" she shouted as she came, her nails biting into his arm. 

Her sweet, tight pussy squeezing around him threw Steve over the edge of his climax as well. His arms tightened around her as he pushed as deep as he could get, his cock pulsing out another thick load of come into her shuddering body. 

As they both lay there, willing their breathing to slow, Steve actually laughed. "Good morning indeed."

"Ugh… I'm going to need a shower." Natasha groaned as his cock slipped out of her. "Just as soon as I can stand."

"I could always carry you to the shower." Steve offered with a cute half-smile.

"Can you stand?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder and arching an eyebrow.

He laughed then, a sound she felt against her back more than one she heard with her ears. "Maybe in a minute." he replied.

***

They showered and raided the kitchen for breakfast, and then while they sipped their coffee, they took up their posts from the previous night, staring out the picture window. Clouds and boats sailed by in the late morning sun. It was a busy picture, but still very serene.

"Y'know it's like you said. I wouldn't really want to do politics… but this view does make a very strong case for that career choice." Steve said.

"Yeah." Natasha agreed. "But how often do you think he gets to enjoy it? Like you said… Stark could probably set me up with a place just as nice."

"True." Steve said with a nod. 

"He might set you up too." She suggested.

Steve's mouth pulled. "I don't think that's the life for me either. But… If he does set you up, can I come visit?"

"Oh I'll be counting on it." she replied with a smile.

"Speaking of Stark, when's your ride getting here?"

"Should be any minute." she answered, checking her phone. "And speaking of rides… My Corvette keys are in your jacket. And... I need to give you something else." She reached into her bag by her feet and pulled out a candybar phone. She passed it to Steve, her expression suddenly gone grim and serious. 

"What's this?" He asked, arching an eyebrow first at the phone and then at her.

"A burner phone." she replied, pressing it firmly into his palm. "It's a phone for when-"

"I know what a burner is, Nat."

"Right."

"Why are you giving me this?" he held the phone up with a concerned frown. "You worried about something?"

She gave a vague shake of her head as her mouth worked. "Remember what I said about figuring out a new cover?"

"Yeah. You said it might take awhile."

"And remember what you said about always being honest?" she was looking him in the eye now with a deadly serious and candid expression. "And about wanting a friend."

She still looked strange like that, Steve thought. So open and earnest. Her eyes wide as she stared him in the face. She looked blank. Like a television waiting to be tuned.

"Yeah." The word came out more carefully the second time.

She licked her lips in a slow, thoughtful motion. "I've never not had a cover, Steve. I've never not had someone else that I was supposed to or had to be. Not since I first set foot in the Red Room. Whether it was for an assignment or for my own survival." She was keeping a careful distance from him, he noticed. With her hands behind her back as if she needed to restrain herself. "I've always had to be someone else. No matter what I wanted."

"Even… even with Clint? And Coulson?" 

"Not… all the time." she said with a shake of her head. "But sometimes. We were spies. We had to keep certain parts of ourselves… apart. We didn't have a choice. We weren't always on the same mission or even the same security level. You know Fury likes… liked to keep things compartmentalized."

"I take it you have some new feelings about that now." he said tartly.

"I have a lot of new feelings regarding Fury right now." she answered, bitterness biting at her tone. "But I've… I've never wanted to actually be someone before. Or I should say, I've never been given that opportunity. Until now." she stared up at him with that sweetly blank and open expression.

Steve considered her response for a moment. "And who do you want to be, Natasha?"

She nodded to the phone in Steve's hand. "Your friend." she answered, a faint smile curling her mouth. "That's… that's my cover. You're my cover. I want to be your friend. You're… I want to be honest with you like you always have been with me. I want to learn how to be that, even if it's just with one person. And I want that for me. Not for an assignment, or for Fury, or for anything. Just for me."

Steve swallowed hard on her confession and nodded. He closed his fingers around the burner phone, letting her see him grip it tight like it was the most precious thing in the world before he slipped it into his jacket pocket. He'd feel it vibrate right next to his heart if she called.

Outside, they both heard the thunderous swell of Quinjet engines. Neither of them looked out the picture window, knowing the craft would be cloaked.

"That's my ride." Natasha said, slinging her bag over her back with a sad smile.

"Be careful." Steve said, folding his arms in an attempt to seem casual. "I know you will be but…"

"You too." she replied, a sad smile quirking at the corner of her mouth. "I know you won't be."

They both laughed at that. 

"Sam will keep me in line." He assured her.

"He'd better."

"Tell Tony hello for me. I should probably pay him a visit once things settle down."

"Don't just pay him a visit." Natasha winked at him, making him laugh again. But her tone had been sincere. Like there was an unspoken "please" at the end of the sentence.

"I won't, I promise."

She nodded, taking a slow deep breath before fixing him with that blank stare once more. Steve was beginning to suspect that it wasn't truly blank. That rather he was seeing her for the first time. The real her. Not who she felt like she needed to be, for him or for anyone else. There just… wasn't much there yet.

Yet.

"Say it again." she said, her voice soft and small.

"Say what again?" Steve asked.

"What you tell your friend when she might do something that could get her killed? But you know you can't tell her not to do it."

A smile softened the taut lines of Steve's face. "Be careful, Nat."

She smiled too, only slightly, but it brightened her face like a sunrise. "You too, Steve."

A breath of silence passed between them, only punctuated by the crescendoing whine of the Quinjet engine. They stared at one another, expressions going hard and thoughts turning wordless as they had in Sam's guest room only a few days prior. And the spell was only broken when Steve leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. A friendly kiss, if such a thing existed… but warm, and heavy with the weight of everything that had passed between them over the past couple of weeks. 

A light kindled in her eyes then, and a real smile bent her lips once more. And then she adjusted the strap on her bag and headed out the door. Steve watched her go. All the way until she disappeared inside the cloaked jet. 

They hadn't said goodbye. But that was just as well.

As the sound of the Quinjet engines faded, Steve reached into his pocket and found the Corvette keys as promised. He spun them around on his finger as he checked his jacket pocket for the burner phone. He fought the urge to call her. Just to test it. Just to see. But then he reminded himself that the Black Widow herself had given him a burner phone, so he could bet his shield that it would work from anywhere on Earth. He was being silly. And besides, if she needed to reach him, no power in existence would be able to stop her.

And just like that, the phone buzzed. Almost as if thinking about it had summoned a message. He pulled it out and read the message.

"Oh. And I forgot to tell you that this thing works both ways. I'll always answer."

Steve smiled and typed back, "I had hoped so. And likewise." before putting the phone back in its pocket by his heart.

Huffing out a steadying breath, he grabbed his own bag with the Winter Soldier file still peeking out, and headed for the garage. There was a lot of work waiting for him back in D.C. just as there was a lot of work undoubtedly waiting for Natasha in New York. 

But they had each other. And that was more than they'd had yesterday.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr at @littlethingwithfeathers!


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